JPS6010864B2 - Microtome knife automatic polishing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to automatic sharpening operations, and in particular to an apparatus for automatically sharpening microtome knives.

It is well known that cutting knives used in modern medical laboratories require uniform, sharp, and smooth blades or edges for producing tissue slices by microtomes.

The prior art, such as the microtome knife polishing method described in U.S. Pat. This type of device has certain limitations on the uniformity and sharpness of the polished knife edge. Knife sharpening devices are also known in automatic microtome knife sharpeners in which the alternately sharpened sides of the knife reciprocate automatically and at low speeds against a flat glass stationary honing plate coated with an abrasive material.

An example of a device that performs this automatic operation is the microtome knife automatic polishing device (Auto
matic Microtome Knife Sha
rpener) Model 935. However, this device has significant limitations when used in state-of-the-art medical laboratories.
The first limitation is that it takes a long time to polish the microtome knife. This equipment takes several hours to form a good cutting edge on a knife with reduced sharpness. Second
A limitation or drawback is the problem of wear of the glass honing plate. Since the knife being sharpened is repeatedly moved back and forth over a fixed honing plate, the surface of the honing plate at the point of contact with the knife is subject to considerable wear, requiring frequent replacement of the honing plate. Due to the cost of replacing worn honing plates, two worn honing plates are usually rubbed together by hand to give a flap finish, or polished using a special lapping machine. Although the cost is lower than replacing a honed board, the labor and special lapping machines required to refurbish a honed board are quite expensive. Another drawback of conventional automatic polishing devices of this type concerns the abrasive suspension applied to the honing plate. In conventional equipment, the suspension container is shaken at a constant speed to uniformly distribute the abrasive particles within the suspension coating. However, the constant back and forth motion of the microtome knife
There is a tendency to concentrate the abrasive suspension in a few specific areas and move the suspension from other areas, which greatly reduces the uniform distribution effect of this vibration. As a result, it is necessary to constantly reapply the abrasive suspension to prevent uneven sharpening of the knife. Therefore, although good microtome knives can be obtained using conventional automatic microtome knife polishing machines, they are not only expensive but also inconvenient for use in state-of-the-art medical laboratories. The above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional knife sharpening devices are significantly improved by the present invention, which comprises a pressure device for pressing the knife to be sharpened against the honing plate, a honing plate support device for repeated lateral movement, and a removable Includes a honing plate lapping device.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new apparatus for automatically sharpening microtome knives.

Another object is to provide a new device for rapidly resharpening microtome knives. Other objects of the present invention,
The advantages and gist of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, we will outline the polishing operation of the present invention,
Details will be described later. The automatic microtome knife polishing device of the present invention includes a reciprocating device that linearly alternately reciprocates a first side surface and a second side surface of a microtome knife against a flat glass honing plate coated with an abrasive suspension. have

The knife to be sharpened is positioned by a reciprocating device at a position inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the honing plate. In the abrasive condition, the honing plate is moved laterally repeatedly in a circular path in the main plane of the honing plate. The honing plate is also selectively positioned so that the honing surface coincides with one of the two parallel planes, so that the knife positioned by the reciprocating device is aligned at one of the predetermined angles with respect to the honing surface. The slope or polishing angle corresponding to is given.
The sides of the knife being sharpened thus reciprocate back and forth over a honing plate moving in a circular path. During this sharpening operation, the exact cutting edge angle relative to the lateral plane of symmetry of the knife is determined by the angular position of the knife relative to the reciprocating device together with the position of the honing surface of the honing plate. A solenoid-actuated pressure device is also bracket-mounted to the reciprocating device and selectively applies a significant torque to the reciprocating device via a mechanical linkage including cross springs, which torque applies a significant amount of pressure to the honing plate. to press. The cross springs described above apply control pressure to the reciprocating device and prevent overloading of the solenoid. When the solenoid actuated pressure device is activated, the cutting edge is rapidly honed at the point of contact with the honing plate due to the pressure of the knife against the honing plate. This rapid sharpening is facilitated by using a coarse abrasive material on the honing plate and performing a so-called rough honing operation. The tip facets that make up the knife cutting edge are polished in a precision grinding operation in which a solenoid-operated pressure device does not pressurize the knife;
The position of the honing plate is also such that the angle of the knife relative to the honing plate is greater than in a rough polishing operation.

A fine abrasive suspension is also used on the honing plate during precision polishing operations. As described above, the present invention provides rapid rough polishing of the microtome knife to remove major damage, followed by slow precision polishing to provide a smooth, uniform, and damage-free finish on both sides of the cutting edge.
During both fine and coarse polishing operations, the glass honing plate is moved laterally in a circular path in the plane of the plate.

This circular motion of the honing plate provides knife contact points on the honing plate over a larger area than conventional sharpening devices, resulting in faster sharpening and longer life of the honing plate. Also, the circular motion of the honing plate is effective in distributing the abrasive used in the honing operation so that continuous monitoring and replacement of the abrasive is not necessary. In this way, according to the present invention, the time required for polishing a microtome knife can be reduced by about 50% compared to conventional polishing devices. In the third lapping device, the two worn honing plates are automatically reprocessed.

In this operation, the worn first honing plate is moved in a circular motion similar to the fine and coarse honing operations described above. A removable accessory is provided to maintain the worn second honing plate in a stationary position and is supported by the circularly moving first honing plate. This operation does not activate the reciprocating device. A suitable abrasive material is placed between the two honing plates and their relative movement causes the contact surfaces to lap.

This lapping operation provides a uniform, smooth surface on the honing plate that has been worn during the knife sharpening operation. In this way, one device can be used to reprocess honing plates worn by microtome knife polishing and polishing operations.
The knife sharpening apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A microtome knife 12 to be polished is loaded into the knife polishing device 101 in FIG.
It is held by the knife clamp 14 at the tip of the arm 16 of 0. As shown in FIG. 2, the knife 12 is brought into contact with the honing plate 41 by the clamp 14 at the proper sharpening position. The reciprocating device 20 is arranged to reciprocate in a horizontal plane. A flat glass honing plate 41 is shown within a honing plate support 42 . Front panel control switches 43-48 select the operation of polishing apparatus 10. The apparatus of the present invention uses a reciprocating device substantially identical to that used in the aforementioned microtome knife automatic polishing apparatus, model 935, manufactured by the applicant. The reciprocating device includes a motor drive device that moves continuously back and forth (the forward direction being the direction opposite the front panel 130') along the moistened slide rods 22 and 23 in four sections; That is, the gears are driven repeatedly with 4 segments as one cycle. The reciprocating device 20 operates at a low speed, eg, one forward and backward movement every four seconds. As shown in FIG. 6, the motor drive device of the reciprocating device 20 includes a motor drive gear 38 (the drive source is housed below the upper plate 15); a crank arm 38a fixed to this gear; A connecting rod 39 whose one end is connected to a pin 401 on the lower surface of the reciprocating device and whose other end is connected to a pin 401 on the lower surface of the reciprocating device;
A gear 37 with a rotation ratio of 1, a cam 37a provided inside the gear in a range of 3′4 circles, that is, a center angle of 270 degrees; and
The cam operating arm 36 is an L-shaped member that has a cam follower 36b in contact with the cam 37a at the lower end, a roller 36a projecting laterally at the upper end, and can swing around a pin 36c. be done.

During three rotations of the motor drive device 38, that is, between the first to third segments of the reciprocating device 20, the device reciprocates three times in succession. When the cam follower 36b reaches the 1'4 circular portion of the gear 37 where there is no cam, the cam operating arm 36 moves inward. This 1/4 circle movement is the fourth
Corresponds to a segment. A microswitch (not shown) interlocked with the inward movement of the cam actuation arm 36 maintains the solenoid circuit of the solenoid actuated pressurizing device in a closed state during the movement period.

Specifically, the next rotation of the motor drive gear 38, that is, the fourth
Between the segments, the motor drive force attempts to move the device 20 backwards and forwards only once, but since the roller 36b protrudes into the path of the reversing lever arm 27 of the reciprocating device 20, the fourth segment of rough polishing In the first half of , the above-mentioned backward movement is converted into an upward movement of the arm 16 .

The reciprocating device is a device that linearly alternately reciprocates both sides of the microtome knife 12 held by the arm 16 by the motor driving device.

The arm 16 is rotatably lubricated and fitted inside the sleeve 16', and the sleeve 16' has a reversing lever arm 27 at one end of a horizontal shaft integrally formed therewith, and a pressurizing lever arm 28 at the end thereof. Fixed.

A rectangular cam plate 34 inclined rearward and downward is provided at a position laterally adjacent to the horizontal axis. The arm 16 is provided with a cam 33 having a pair of protrusions on the outside of the front end of the sleeve, and a cam 35 with a pair of protrusions offset by 90 degrees from the protrusions of the cam 33 on the outside of the rear end of the sleeve. A knife clamp 14 is attached. The knife clamp 14 has a central support on its lower surface and two blade clamps 14c and 14d on its upper surface.

These plate clamps are L-shaped members with clamp screws 14a,
It is opened and closed by rotation of 14b. In FIG. 6, the clamp 14c is shown in an open state, and the clamp 14d is shown in a closed state, and the knife 12 is tightly held between the support portion and the blade clamp. During operation, the reciprocating device 20 performs a reciprocating motion along the slide rods 22 and 23 by the motor drive device, with one cycle consisting of a fourth segment of backward and forward movement. No first,
Between the third segments, the microtome knife 12 is ground by the honing plate 41 by the arm 16. When the roller 36a of the cam actuating arm 36 touches the rear edge of the reversing lever arm 27 during the backward movement of the first half of the fourth segment,
The rotation of the arm 27 causes the sleeve 16' to rise, and during this upward movement the cam 35 contacts the upper edge of the cam plate 34, causing the arm 16 to rotate 90 degrees within the sleeve 16'. During the forward motion in the second half of the fourth segment, the arm 16 begins to descend due to the gravity applied to the knife clamp 14 and the knife 12, but the rear edge of the reversing lever arm 27 is moved by the roller 36a.
Since the device 20 continues to be in contact with the cam plate 34, the cam 33 at the front of the arm 16 gradually descends as the device 20 advances.
The knife 12 is rotated an additional 90 degrees upon contact with the top green.

Therefore, the knife 12 is turned over 180 degrees after the fourth segment and contacts the honing plate 41. This cycle is then repeated. Improvements in knife sharpening operations in accordance with the present invention are accomplished through a solenoid actuated pressurization device shown in detail in FIG.

The pressure device 50 is selectively applied to the pressure lever arm 28 of the reciprocating device 20 to impart a downward rotational torque to the arm 16 and the knife about the axis 25 during the reciprocating portion of the coarse sanding cycle. Acts to apply force. The applied torque becomes a large force of about 1.8k9, and this force presses the knife 12 against the honing plate. During all segments of the fine honing operation and the fourth segment of the coarse honing operation, this pressure device is not active, and the pressure with which the knife contacts the honing plate is solely due to the force of gravity due to the weight of the clamp 14 and the knife 12 itself. The pressure device 5 of FIG. 3 includes a mounting bracket 51 which is attached to the reciprocating device and moves therewith along slide bars 22 and 23.

Bracket 51 is used to support solenoid 53. The upper end of a ring 55 is connected with a pin to the core 53a driven by the solenoid 53, and the lower end of the link 55 is connected with a pin to the rear end of another link 56.
The front end of the link 56 is rotatably attached around a screw 61 provided on the bracket 51, and a tap 56a protruding inward is formed in the lower green portion near the rear end of the link 56. On the bracket side of the link 56, an L-shaped link 57 that can be rotated about a screw 61 is juxtaposed, and at its rear end there is a tab 57a that protrudes inwardly below the tab 56a.
The lower front end of the link 57 is connected to the rear end of a substantially rectangular cam 58 by a pin. A cross spring 63 is attached to the inside of the link 56 of the screw 61, and one extension 63a of the spring 63 elastically contacts the upper surface of the tab 56a, and the other extension 63b elastically contacts the lower surface of the tab 67a. The screw 61 is tightened between the metal bushing and the rubber bushing to give the cam 58 lateral movement play. The cam 58 has a fairly deep recess 58a on the side opposite to the bracket 51. Further, a screw 58b is screwed into the side surface of the cam 58 through the horizontal hole of the bracket 51.
8b guides the movement of a substantially rectangular cam 58. Recess 58
The function of a will be described later. . The thick part at the tip of the cam 58 is connected to the thin part at the rear by an inclined part 73, and when the solenoid 53 is de-energized, this thick part is placed in a position where it mates with the cutout hole 67 at the front of the bracket 51. .

A cross spring 68 is attached at its first extension to the head of the screw 58b. Spring 68 is mounted on a support stud 69 attached to bracket 51, and a second extension of spring 68 is hooked into hole 71 in bracket 51. The spring 68 has the function of positioning the cam 58 so that the inner thickness of the cam always fits into the cutout hole 67 when the solenoid 53 is deenergized. When the solenoid 53 is energized, the link 56 is pulled up rapidly and the link 56 is rotated about the screw 61 so that this tab 56a is connected to the cross spring 63.
Pull up the extension part 63a. This rotational force is transferred to the other extension 6
3b, and is transmitted to the tab 57a of the L-shaped link 57 that contacts this. The rotation of the link 57 pulls the cam 58 backward. When the cam 58 is pulled rearward, the inclined portion 73 contacts the green 67a of the cutout hole 67 and the bracket 51
The position of the recessed portion 58a is moved backward at the same time as the recessed portion 58a is moved away from the object. When the solenoid is energized, the cam 58 is separated from the bracket 51 and simultaneously moved rearward by the above-described action of the inclined portion 73.

With this movement, the projection 28a of the pressure lever arm 28 of the reciprocating device 20 joins the recess 58a. Therefore, when the solenoid 53 is energized and the force of the solenoid acts on the cam 58, a constant force is applied to the arm 28 by the wall of the recess 58a via the projection 28a. (FIG. 3 shows an exaggerated distance between the pressure lever arm 28 and the cam 58 to clearly illustrate the reciprocating device 20 in this figure. In the illustrated embodiment, this distance is shown in an exaggerated manner as shown in FIG. ) The torque applied from the pressurizing lever arm 28 to the arm 16 of the device 20 is relieved by the elastic connection of the cross spring 63, and applies a constant force of about 1.8k9 to the knife 12 to the honing plate 41. It has an effect.

Therefore, by selectively applying an energizing signal to the solenoid 53, the knife can be pressed against the honing plate with a predetermined force. When the solenoid 53 is deenergized by the operation of a micro switch, etc., the thick part of the cam 58 is inserted into the cutout hole 67.
At the same time, the projection 28a of the pressurizing lever arm 28
The competition between the blade and the cam recess 58a is eliminated, and the pressure applied to the knife disappears.

FIG. 4 shows a honing plate 41 and a honing plate support device 42.
and the positioning device of this support device is schematically illustrated.

The honing plate positioning device includes a mechanical control switch 43 that selects two positions of the honing plate 41, a high rough polishing position and a low precision polishing position, and an IJ link device that includes two pairs of triangular plates connected to this control switch. The honing plate 86 includes a honed plate 86 and a honing plate support device 42 supported by three lubricating columns 88 above the plate.

The projections 81a-f shown in FIG. 4 are used to position the honing plate 41 relative to the support device 42. Holes 83a-d in the underside of support device 42 are used to attach the support device to drive plate screw lobes 84a-d. Support device 42 in FIG. 4 is shown spaced apart above drive plate 85 for clarity. The vertical position of support device 42 and honing plate 41 is determined by the position of plate 86 as described below. Once the plate 86 is positioned as described below, the support device 42
is supported by three lubricating columns 88a-c that contact this lower surface. In the illustrated embodiment, rotational lateral movement is imparted to the support device 42 by a motor arrangement 92 driving gear 91 which drives gears 93 and 94. Drive plate 85 is attached to offset or misaligned pins 95 and 96 of gears 93 and 94, drive plate 86 moving in a circular path of, for example, 19 ridges in diameter. As a result, since the support device 42 is fixed to the drive plate 85 by screws 84a-d, the support device 42 and the honing plate 41 also undergo the same rotational movement. The motor arrangement 92 thus imparts a circular path movement to the honing plate. Next, a method for determining the vertical height of the honing plate 41 will be explained with reference to FIG.

A front panel mechanical control switch 43 provides two selection positions for plate 86 and honing plate 41 in the illustrated embodiment. The switch 43 has a shaft 43a and gears 101 and 102.
It is connected to the shaft 104 via. Shaft 104 has a pair of cams 106 and 107 at suitable positions, these cams
Rotates with 04. Extensions 104a and 10 of shaft 104
4b is supported on the side wall of the polishing device. (As shown in FIG. 4, the lengths of extensions 104a and 104b are exaggerated for clarity. Also, the supporting linkage of switch shaft 43a is omitted for the same reason.) Plate 86 is L-shaped. Four triangular plates 116-119 are formed by brackets 111 and 112.
is connected to. Triangular plates 118 and 119 are not shown in their entirety in the perspective view of FIG.

Triangular plates 116-119 are connected to L-shaped brackets 116a-119a, respectively.

The second connection of triangular plates 116-119 is 116b-119b
This is done for the axes 121-124 at the point.

The other ends of these shafts (shown exaggerated in FIG. 3) are connected to fixed locations on the side walls of the polishing device 10. Brackets 126 and 127 each attach to triangular plate 11 at points 116c-119c (length is exaggerated in FIG. 4).
6-119. Point 119c is not visible in the perspective view of FIG. In this embodiment, brackets 126 and 12
7 has rectangular notches 126a and 127a on the shaft 104 at positions surrounding the cams 106 and 107. When operating,
Turn the control switch 43 from the "coarse/lap" position shown in FIG.
When the cam 106 of the shaft 104 rotates 1800 times to the "precision" position,
And 107 also rotates 1800 times.

This movement of cams 106 and 107 causes bracket 126
and 127 are moved away from the front panel 130 by the contact between the cam slope and the rear edges of the notches 126a and 127a. Therefore, the triangular plates 116-119 move clockwise toward each axis 121-12 when viewed from the left side of the front panel 136.
Rotated at pivot point 116c-119c about 4. Of course, since the axes 121-124 are in the stereotaxic layer, the triangular plate 116
-119 is rotated about axes 121-124. As a result, the L-shaped brackets 111 and 112 are connected to the switch 43.
is moved to a lower "fine" position than if it were in the "coarse/lap" position. For this purpose, the plate 86, like the support device 42 and the honing plate 41, is moved to a lower position. In this way, the vertical position of the honing surface of the honing plate 41 is moved to a new position by operating the control switch 43. Due to the plate 86 which is linked to the control switch 43, the honing plate 41' can occupy two different positions, the honing surface corresponding to one of the two parallel planes. In particular, this operation is performed by maintaining the landing points of the triangular plates 116-119 in the stereotaxic layer. These brackets, ie, triangular plates, are rotated by brackets 126 and 127 at equal angles, so that connection points 116a, 116c, 117c and 1
17a, and 118a, 118c, 119a and 11
The polygon formed by 9c becomes the same parallelogram at two different positions of the control switch 43. Also, since the height of this parallelogram is the same in the two locations and the opposite sides of plate 86 are the same distance from the base of polishing device 10, plate 86
coincides with one of the two parallel planes by operating the switch 43. Therefore, the honing plate 4 also coincides with one of these two parallel surfaces. FIG. 5 shows brace 141 and assembly 15.
FIG.

This accessory is used for resurfacing worn honing plates of the polishing device 10. In a honing plate reprocessing operation, a brace 141 is placed on top of the support and associated drive. Brace 141 is attached to the side panels of polishing apparatus 10 by screwing screws 142a-145a through holes 142-145 into holes 131-134 provided at appropriate locations in the side panels of polishing device 10 (see tab 45).
and 145a are not visible in the perspective view of FIG. 5). With this installation device, the place 141 has no contact with the moving support device 42 and the honing plate attached thereto.
Brace 141 has a cutout in the top surface, the size of which corresponds exactly to the size of a standard honing plate. The height of the upper surface of the brace 141 attached to the knife sharpening device 10' is such that the honed honing plate 4la is inserted into the cutout on the upper surface of the brace and the support device is at its highest position (the above-mentioned "rough/lap" position). The height is such that the abrasion honing plate is supported by the honing plate 41 on the support device 42 when the honing plate is in position. FIG. 5 shows a pressure device 150 which includes screws 1'52 and 153 passing through holes 147 and 148.
It is attached to the brace 141 by. For this purpose, the assembly 15 and the flexible sex pad 155 and 1
56 applies a significant downward pressure to the insert honing plate 41a, which is attached to the assembly 150 by coil springs 155a and 156a at connection points 158 and 159. Next, various modes or operating states of the polishing device 10 will be described.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention has no switch 45, and 1 of 47.
Three types of operations are possible by pressing down on one.
When the switch 44 is pressed down, the polishing device 101 does not operate. In the first operation, the "coarse" operation (switch 47), the microtome knife is sharpened rapidly to remove large nicks and scratches. In this state of operation, the knife is roughly ground at an angle that is significantly smaller than the predetermined angle of the cutting edge. This angle with respect to the rough polishing surface changes the height of the honing surface of the honing plate 41 by turning the switch 43 "rough/rough" as described above.
The knife 12 to be sharpened is inserted into the clamp 14 of the reciprocating device 20, and after applying the abrasive suspension to the surface of the honing plate 41, the front “Rough” on panel 130
Switch 47 is pressed down to start operation of polishing device 10. During operation motor 92 is actuated to drive drive gear 91 and thus gears 93 and 94 are actuated. Due to the offset pin connection of gears 93 and 94 to drive plate 85, a circular movement occurs in drive plate 85 that corresponds to the rotation of gears 93 and 94. This movement is transmitted to the support device 42 by the connection of the drive plate 85 with the support device 42 by means of the screws described above through the holes 83a-83b, so that the honing plate 41 is rotated in a circular path. Further, when the switch 47 is pressed down, the operation of the reciprocating device 20 is started.

The reciprocating device 20 moves repeatedly at low speeds, eg, one backward and forward movement every four seconds, as described above. As mentioned above, every fourth segment of the backward and forward movement the knife 12 is reversed into contact with the honing plate 41. In this manner, both sides of the knife 12 are reciprocated through three segments, backwards and forwards, and the knife is reversed in the fourth segment and the operation is repeated on the other side. In rough polishing operations, the reciprocating three-segment solenoid actuated pressure device 50 is activated as described above. The operation of this pressure device will be more clearly understood from FIG. 3 and its description using the coordinate axis 49. Even if the polishing device 10 is in the rough polishing state, the solenoid 53 is not energized between each fourth segment when the knife is reversed, and the pressure device 50 is in the state shown in FIG. 3. In this figure, the core 53a of the solenoid 53 is located at the lowest direct position (axis 49
Since the cam 58 is in its maximum forward position (the positive x direction), the impinging slope 73 of the cam 58 is within the cutout area 67 of the bracket 51. During "coarse" polishing operations, core 53a is in its highest position (positive y-direction motion) because solenoid 53 is energized for three reciprocating cycles of reciprocating device 20. In response to this change in position, link 55 moves link 56 around screw 61, resulting in tab 5 of link 56 as described above.
6a applies a force to the extension 63a of the spring 63. The moment of force applied to the extension 63a of the cross spring 63 is transmitted to the tab 67a of the link 57 via the extension 63b.
This force applied to the cam 58 causes the cam to tighten the screw 58b.
, the screw moves relative to the slot of the bracket 51 (negative x direction). When the inclined surface 3 of the cam 58 collides with the edge 67a of the cutout hole 67 of the bracket 51, the cam is moved not only backward (negative x direction) but also in a direction away from the bracket 51 (positive z direction).

When the cam 58 moves away from the bracket 51 (positive z direction), the recess 58a of this cam moves to a position where it surrounds the protrusion 28a of the pressure lever arm 28 of the reciprocating device 20. Further movement of the cam 58 in the opposite direction (negative x direction) exerts a force on the arm 28 creating a torque about the axis 25 of the reciprocating device 20. As described above, this torque presses the knife 12 against the honing plate 41 with a downward force of about 1.8k9. After the solenoid 53 is energized, the force applied to the pressure lever arm 28 is proportional to the spring elasticity of the cross spring 63. In this way “
During rough sanding operations, a constant force is applied to the knife without overloading the solenoid 53. After the desired rough sanding edge is obtained, switch 44 is depressed to stop the sanding device. The force and the additional pressure exerted by this force on the knife 12 rapidly abrades the contact surface of the knife 12 with the coarse abrasive material previously applied to the honing plate.

Because of the pressure generated by the solenoid and applied to the knife 12, polishing time can be saved by approximately 50% compared to the absence of this pressure. Although the additional pressure applied to the knife 12 also causes faster wear of the honing plate 41, the wear points are widely distributed due to the rotational movement of the honing plate, so that the actual honing plate wear is slower than in conventional devices. Also, in embodiments of the invention, the rotational movement of the honing plate 41 is performed at a speed that is independent of the cyclic movement of the reciprocating device 20. A continuous polishing operation is therefore possible, and since the honing plate 41 is contacted at various points, the wear points on the surface area of the honing plate 41 are widely distributed. In addition, because of the circular motion of the honing plate 41 and the reciprocating motion of the knife 12 by the device 201, the abrasive material does not fall off from a specific side like in a follower device, and the abrasive material on the honing plate is continuously distributed. is given. In the second sharpening operation of the sharpening device 10, i.e. "precision" sharpening, the knife 12
Precision polishing of the edges is performed.

This polishing operation requires polishing the tip facet at a significantly greater angle to the symmetrical cross-section of the knife 12 than the surface polished in a "coarse" polish. A precision abrasive liquid is applied to the honing surface 41. When switch 43 is adjusted to the "fine" position of FIG. 3, the honing surface of plate 41 is moved to its lowest position as described above. To sharpen the knife 12 held by the clamp 14 in a ``precision'' polishing operation, a precision abrasive suspension is first applied to the honing surface of the plate 41.

The honing surface is lowered to an appropriate position by operating the switch 43 as described above. When the "fine" switch 46 is depressed, the support device 42 begins to move (circular path motion) as in "coarse" sanding, but in this case the solenoid actuated pressure device 50 is not activated and the cam 58 is It does not contact the protrusion 28a. In this way, reciprocating motion is achieved without additional pressure generated by solenoid 53, and the downward force on knife 12 is simply generated by the force of gravity on clamp 14 and knife 12. Therefore, “precision” polishing operations are “rough”
It is performed at a lower polishing rate than polishing. After the desired cut surface is formed, switch 44 is depressed to stop operation of the polishing device. In the third lapping operation (switch 45) of the polishing device 10, the attachment device 14 is attached to the two abrasive honing plates.
By installing 0, a uniform honed surface can be obtained in reprocessing.

This operation does not sharpen the knife and therefore the reciprocating device is stopped. In operation, brace 141 is screwed onto support device 42 by holes 131-134 and taps 142-145 as described above. Also, when the control switch 43 is moved to the "coarse/lap" position shown in FIG.
is raised to the highest position as described above. After moving the switch 43 as described above, apply an abrasive suspension to the plate 41,
A second honing plate 41a is then inserted into the cutout top surface of the brace 141 and supported by the abrasive coated top surface of the plate 41. Pressure device 150 is then connected to screws 152 and 15 as described above.
Attach to the brace 141 in step 3. With these operations, board 4
The bottom surface of 1a and the top surface of plate 41 (both worn) contact each other across the applied abrasive suspension. Pressure device 150 also applies downward pressure to plate 41a through spring loaded pads 155 and 156 to contact plate 41. Press down on the "wrap" switch 45 to begin the reprocessing operation. In response, support device 42 begins a circular movement by motor 92 as described above. For this reason,
Plate 41 is moved in a circular path relative to plate 41a, which is supported by brace 141. Pressure device 5 river pressure,
The abrasive material between plates 41a and 41 causes these wear surfaces to wear together. In this way, by using the same polishing device 10 used to sharpen a microtome knife, a uniform honing surface is automatically created on two adjacent surfaces. Therefore, by combining the simple accessories into a single device, it becomes both a knife sharpening device and a honing surface reprocessing device. With the above three types of operations,
Switch 48 is used as a timer to control the duration of polishing apparatus 10.

In the illustrated embodiment, the switch 48 is set to
0 can be operated continuously for 1 minute to 45 minutes. In this embodiment, the switch 48 also switches the knife 12
The fourth movement cycle for lifting the honing plate 41 from the honing plate 41
The polishing apparatus 10 may also be deactivated after a period of time following the segment. The present invention can also be implemented in other forms than the embodiments described above.

These aspects are listed below. 1. The automatic microtome knife polishing device according to the claims, wherein the flat glass honing plate is coated with an abrasive suspension.

2. A solenoid actuated pressure device in which the pressure device selectively generates a significant mechanical force and for pressing the microtome knife against the honing plate with a significant pressure;
2. A microtome knife automatic polishing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including: a cross-spring pressure transmission device for transmitting selectively generated forces to the reciprocating device.

3. A patent in which the honing plate positioning device includes: a device for supporting the honing plate; a device for supporting the honing plate; and a device for repeatedly moving the honing plate within a circular path in a main plane of the honing plate; A microtome knife automatic polishing device according to the claims.

4. The automatic microtome knife polishing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a removable honing plate lapping device for maintaining the second honing plate in the fixed position when the second honing plate is mounted in the fixed position supported by the first honing plate.

5. The microtome knife automatic polishing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the removable lapping device includes a device for pressing the second honing plate against the first honing plate with a significant amount of pressure.

6. The automatic microtome knife polishing device according to claim 3, wherein the frequency of repetitive movement of the device supporting the honing plate is independent of the speed of movement of the reciprocating device.

7. a honing plate positioning device is selectively actuated to position the flat glass honing plate in one of a plurality of positions, each layer maintaining a honing surface of the honing plate in one of the plurality of planes; 5. The automatic microtome knife polishing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the knife is positioned by a reciprocating device in one of a plurality of oblique positions relative to the honing plate.

8 Honing plate positioning device that moves in the lateral direction; the first side and the second side of the microtome knife are alternately reciprocated linearly with respect to the flat glass honing plate,
and a selectively actuated reciprocating device for positioning the knife at a predetermined angle with respect to the honing plate; maintaining the second honing plate in the fixed position when the second honing plate is mounted in the fixed position supported by the first honing plate; , a removable honing plate lapping device; and selecting one of two operating states: a first operating state for automatically sharpening the knife and a second operating state for automatically lapping the first and second honing plates. an automatic microtome knife polishing device, including an operating state selection device;

9. A first flat glass honing plate is coated with an abrasive suspension.

9. The automatic microtome knife polishing device according to item 8. 10
9. The microtome knife automatic polishing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the honing plate positioning device includes a device for repetitively moving the plate in a circular path in a major plane of the plate.

11 a first honing plate positioner that moves laterally to support and move the first honing plate; and a second honing plate positioning device that moves laterally to support and move the first honing plate.
a fixed second honing plate positioning device for maintaining the honing plate in a fixed position supported by the first honing plate;
An automatic lapping device for flat honing plates, including:

12. The automatic honing plate lapping apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first honing plate positioning device includes a device for repetitively moving the first honing plate within a circular path in a major plane of the plate.

13. The automatic honing plate lapping apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second honing plate positioning layer includes a device for pressing the second honing plate with a significantly greater force against the first honing plate.

14 A honing plate made of flat glass coated with an abrasive material, and a microtome knife whose first side and second side are alternately reciprocated linearly with respect to the honing plate, and which are tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the honing plate. a microtome knife automatic sharpening apparatus comprising a reciprocating device for positioning the knife by supporting a honing plate and repeatedly moving the plate in a circular path in the hand plane of the plate; A moving honing plate support that is independent of the speed of the reciprocating device; a solenoid actuated pressurizing device that selectively generates a significant force; a selectively generated pressure is transmitted to the reciprocating device to move the knife against the honing plate; a cross-spring pressure transmission device for pressing with a large force; and positioning the honing plate support device in one parallel plane at a plurality of positions, the knife at an inclination angle corresponding to one of the plurality of inclination angles with respect to the honing plate; A microtome knife automatic polishing apparatus including a support positioning device positioned by a reciprocating device.

15 A first abrasive coated flat glass honing plate is provided, and the first side and the second side of the microtome knife are alternately reciprocated linearly with respect to the plate, and the knife is moved against the honing plate. a microtome knife automatic polishing apparatus having a selectively actuated reciprocating device for positioning the honing plate at a predetermined angle of inclination; Support device; moving first plate with a second honing plate coated with abrasive material
a removable honing plate lapping device for maintaining the honing plate in a fixed position when installed in a fixed position supported by the honing plate; and a first operating state for automatically sharpening the knife; and first and second honing plates. An automatic microtome knife polishing device having two types of selection operation states, including an operation state selection device for selecting one of two states, a second operation state for automatically polishing the microtome knife.

16 A removable honing plate lapping device
15. The automatic microtome knife polishing apparatus according to page 15, comprising a pressure device that presses the honing plate against the second honing plate with a considerable pressure.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The wing view is a top view of the microtome knife automatic polishing device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof; FIG. A perspective view of the honing plate moving support device of the embodiment shown in FIG.
The figure is a perspective view of an accessory device for reprocessing a honing plate according to the present invention; FIG. 6 is an exploded schematic view including a motor drive device of a reciprocating device of an automatic polishing apparatus according to the present invention. 12...knife, 14...clamp, 16...arm,
20... Reciprocating device, 22, 23... Slide rod 25... Horizontal axis wisteria line, 27...
Lever arm, 28... Pressure lever arm, 36...
. Cam operating arm, 37... Gear with cam, 38...
...Drive gear, 41...Honing plate, 42...
Honing plate support device, 43-48... Control switch, 50... Solenoid actuation pressurizing device, 51.
...'Bracket, 53... Solenoid, 58...
Force arm, 63... Cross spring, 67... Cutout hole, 73...
...Cam slope part, '85... Drive plate, 95, 96
...Offset pin, 116-119...
Triangular plate, 126, 127...Bracket, 1
40... Attached device. FIG. ! FIG. 2 FIG. 3 FIG. 4 FIG. 5 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A honing plate 41 supported by a honing plate support device 42; a positioning device that determines the height position of the honing plate according to microtome knife rough polishing and precision polishing operations; This is a device that reciprocates both sides of the microtome knife 12 held by the knife clamp 14 alternately linearly by a motor drive device, and the arm 16 is connected to the sleeve 1.
A horizontal shaft is integrally formed in the center of the sleeve 16', and a reversing lever arm 27 is fixed to one end of the horizontal shaft, and a pressurizing lever arm 28 is fixed to the other end of the horizontal shaft. and the arm 16 is connected to the reversing lever arm 27,
The knife 12 swings about the horizontal axis so as to rise and fall through periodic contact with a cam operating arm 36 provided on the drive device, and cams 33, 35 fixed to the front and rear of the arm 16 a reciprocating device 20 in which the knife is reversed around the arm axis by contact with the upper edge of a cam plate 34 provided on the reciprocating device; a pressurizing device 50 that reciprocates in conjunction with the reciprocating device and simultaneously presses the microtome knife against the honing plate with a constant pressure via the pressurizing lever arm 28 when energized; The height positioning device has a mechanical control switch 43 for selecting two high and low positions of the honing plate, and has a link device including two pairs of triangular plates that each rotate at an equal angle in the same plane with respect to the selected position. The pressurizing device 50 includes a solenoid 53; a link 55 to the solenoid.
, and is in elastic contact with one extension 63a of a cross spring 63 disposed around the screw 61;
1; a tabbed link 56 that is pivotable about 1; is in elastic contact with the other extension 63b of the cross spring;
an L-shaped link 57 with a tab that can be pivoted around;
A cam 58 is connected by a pin to the shaped link and is provided with a recess 58a. During the activation of the solenoid, the recess 58a fits into the protrusion 28a of the pressurizing lever arm 28 as the cam moves, and the above-mentioned The torque applied to the arm 16 of the device 20 forces the knife 12 against the honing plate with a constant pressure, and the cam 58 is activated during de-energization of the solenoid, i.e., during knife reversal operations for coarse sanding, and during all operations for fine sanding. Upon return, the recess 58a is disengaged from the protrusion 28a,
The pressure on the arm 16 is released and the arm swings about the horizontal axis solely due to the force of gravity on the knife and the knife clamp 14 holding it, and the knife contacts the honing plate under the force of gravity. Features: Microtome knife automatic polishing device.